Reflection

The day begins with stillness. Weather predictors are saying the weekend will be cooler and shortly, wetter. The temperature is 49 degrees fahrenheit. Today is Saturday.

The first week of the year 2024: gone.

Lots of people are reflecting and sharing their reflections on what is happening in their lives. It has been a gift to be with those who are in a sharing mood. Without hearing other voices, one might feel that they are the only beings who are suffering, experiencing loss, and finding life these days to be too much to manage. And then, there are the ones who can share a bit of joy in the encounters with friends and strangers alike. We begin all friendships as strangers.

How quickly things change. There is always a shadow side we bring along in our lives - often without awareness that the shadow is there. It is often impossible to see the shadow without a mirror - and how many of us carry mirrors around these days? Everytime we turn, the shadow moves. We can spin into dizziness if we keep turning, turning, turning. And yet, the shadow will reveal where we are in a parallel universe and that is a very big curiosity - exactly where am I? It is in the shadows that the truth of our movements and our energetic selves reside. There, another part of our being is revealed. That would be the part that can tell us if we are in balance or not. It is not in the realm of therapeutic insights that one can tap into this aspect of our being - it is once again, within each one. The shadow has a story to share.

Today, there will be many encounters and the shadows of others will be available to be noticed. How many will notice the shadow as a source of insight into what is happening, who is before (or beside) us, and how we might play with the energy that the shadow reveals? It is another kind of opening into seeing beyond what is presented in form. It is beyond form and a first entry into the ephemeral.

Since it is Saturday, there is (or should be) time to play. This play might be fun. And these days, fun is in short supply. The seriousness of life has been burdening many people and especially those who have huge hearts and a deep desire to be in service tending to the needs of people and this planet. Maybe it is time to give ourselves a little break. Maybe it is time to allow playfulness to enter. Maybe playing with shadows will be a way to have a little fun for a change.